+ EMERALD EDITORIALS +
Tough Situation
Things arc tough all over!
Oregon's poor, overworked, underpaid,
ultra-worldly and sophisticated student vot
ers will still be bothered with student gov
ernment for over 11 years at the current rate.
There were a very few candidates in the
primaries this year, but that isn’t the real
problem—there will always be some candi
dates around.
But people are still voting—and at the
present rate, there will be voters, and thus
electionsi for just about 11 more years.
The astounding total of 1651 persons voted
in the 1953 primary; in 1954 the figure was
1423, and this year 1315 diehards made it to
the polls. Thus the average drop in number of
voters turning out is only 118 per year.
This gives student government an 11-year
lease on life (actually it's 11.144 years).
These figures are based only on the num
ber voting—not on enrollment, which has
gone up while voting numbers have dropped
off. So figuring that we lose only 118 voters
per year, it will be 11.144 years before the
heavy fog of lassitude completely covers the
campus.
The Emerald will still be writing about
student government, people with IQ’s over
60 will still be talking about student gov
ernment, and the administration will still
be trying to give us student government
for 11 more years.
Those who are above participation in what
they refer to as a “game" will still have to
watch the rest of us at work tor those long,
hard 11 years.
Things are really tough.
Job Well Done
"Be nice to high school seniors weekend”
is over and the campus as a whole can pat it
self on the back for a job well done.
Of course, the ultimate success of Duck
Preview won’t be determined until next
fall. But certainly every high school senior
had the opportunity to become well ac
quainted with the University.
During registration the fraternities played
the game according to the rules, and no vi
olations were reported of fraternity men on
the second floor of the Student Union. Large
organized drinking parties apparently didn’t
exist during the weekend.
Most important, there were good turnouts
both at the Friday night “what to take" ses
sions and the Saturday morning campus
tours. Information gained during these ses
sions will be especially important in helping
Oregon's visitors determine their college.
Despite the punk weather, many of the
visitors saw and enjoyed the Saturday af
ternoon football scrimmage. Two high
school men even had something good to
say about their Saturday night blind dates,
so the big dance must have been a success.
The general unfavorable reaction to the
judging at the votlvil show was one of the
few marring effects of the weekend. We
would suggest a general re-evaluation of
both judge selection and judging criteria for
this event in the future.
Hut on the whole Duck Preview was defin
itely a success. This might be a good time to
toss a rose at the Greek system. Certainly the
fraternity and sorority members bear the
brunt of this exhausting weekend. They do
most of the rushing, give up their beds, their
free time, and sometimes even their girl
friends. And for the most part they do it with
a smile.—(D. L.)
Nothing Lost
This afternoon at 4 p.m. Sam Valiev and
Bud Hinkson will speak informally in the
Student Union. It’s a good chance to hear
what the two men from whom the 1955-56
ASUO president will be chosen speak on
their platforms and on their personal concep
tions of the office.
If you aren't one of those who feels above
the whole thing, and if you are among those
who recognize that the "My party, right or
wrong idea is outmoded, you might drop
around.
It will probably help you make up your
mind if you haven't already—or it might give
you a sound reason tor voting the way you
would have voted anyway.
Even it you don't want to ask the candi
dates a question or two. you'll get a free cup
of coffee from the SU coffee-hour committee,
so what can you lose?
Footnotes
Listed as “qualifications" for office on sev
eral campaign posters were the words "Ex
perienced, Capable. Interested.” or some
thing to that effect. 'I hings are getting pretty
bad when either mere interest has become a
qualification or a candidate can't drum up
three qualifications without referring to "in
terest” as one of them.
INTERPRETING THE NEWS
Chinese Red Negotiation Talk
Not Sincere, AP Analyst Says
By J. M. ROBERTS
Associated Press News Analyst
Chou En-Lai's reiteration .of
Red China’s “sovereign light to
liberate Formosa” is clear evi
dence that his talk on Saturday
about direct negotiations with
the United States had no real
meaning.
Mohammed Ali of Pakistan,
after lunching with Chou follow
ing the close of the Bandung
conference, says Chou thinks
there is Istili a slight crack in
the door leading to negotiations.
Chou’s own statements, how
ever, can only mean that he is
willing to negotiate the terms
of Formosa’s surrender, and
nothing else.
As for reports from Bandung
that Chou has indicated some
slight chance for the release of
American fliers convicted of es
pionage, that too must be taken
with reservations until he names
his price.
There is a bare possibility he
would go through with it as a
continuation of the sweetness and
light show he put on for the
benefit of the Bandung conferees,
but that would be paying a con
crete price for a chancy bit of
goodwill. The best estimate still
is that United States will have
to pay a concrete price of its
own before this matter is settled.
One bit of truth did slip
through Chou’s lips on the sub
ject of relations with the Uni
ted States when he said the
Chinese people don’t want war
with her. The Chinese people
don’t want war with anybody.
As to whether, as Chou said,
they are friendly to the America
people, you can pay your money
and take your chances. The
American people have frequently
displayed friwndHness toward
them. But Americans did not
entirely escape the anti-foreign
-movement in China before the
Reds, and it has been greatly in
tensified since then.
In spite of all these things,
an argument can be made for
pursuit by the United States of
Chou’s offer to negotiate. It
wouldn’t look nice to sit down
with representatives of an un
recognized government and talk
about Formosa behind Formosa’s
back. But it would be a good
thing to try to learn if Chou has
a price for peace, and what it is,
and whether Red China is will
ing to pay anything at all her
self.
Respite her commitments to
Chiang’s Nationalist govern
ment, the United States is still
big enough and strong enough
to act as an honest broker.
A demonstration of her will
ingness to try would go far to
balance the impression of reas
onableness made by Chou at
Bangdung— and there seems to
be no question that he did make
such an impression despite the
over-all ability of the anti-Com
munist nations to prevent him
from incorporating the confer
ence into his own propaganda
machinery.
College Capers...
From Coast to Coast
By Elliot Carlton
Emerald Column)*!
EDITORIAL COLUMNS of the
Stanford Dally and the Iowa
State college paper have launch
er! attacks upon fraternity tra
ditions like "Hell Week” and
"Pledge Sneaks” Both papers
have complained that the events
have cfiuaed considerable "dis
turbance" • on their respective
campuses,
The Stanford Dally charged
that the pledge sneak ereates
nit additional opportunity for
thought lens mob action. The
same paper then asked in an
editorial "What’s constructive
about Hell Week?
The Iowa State paper .suggest
ed that the pledge aneak period
should be used as a time for con
centrated, objective, constructive
appraisal by both members and
pledges on the meaning und value
of the fraternity system.
• • •
THE UNIVERSITY
OK WASHINGTON is having
trouble with its student council
this time the student body presi
dent.
First, many members of the
student council had to resign
tieeanse of failure to make
their grades winter term. Now,
spring term, Washington's
newly elected student body
president has been disqualified
for violating an election rule
which states, "there sliull ta
rn* active campaigning around
students waiting to vote.”
With a little practice the Hus
kies could become more accus
tomed to not having a student
government than having one.
• • •
WASHINGTON STUDENTS
have reacted against the discon
.. —1 ... '■ — '■ I
tinning; of notin' paraded on elec
tion tiny. It‘H boon a custom on
the Hunky cam pun for a parade
to take place election day fea
turing airena and the chanting
of students supporting their can
didates.
The year the parade was abol
ished, much to the dtaniay of the
students. Washington’s still
ahead of Oregon, however, for at
least they do allow electioneer
ing on voting day it just can’t
be verbal,
• • •
ACTIVE IDAHOANS have
formed a third party known as
the “Student Government Party.”
The party, termed “hopelessly
idealistic" by opposing campus
politicians, wants to do away
with party caucuses, the party
split along living organization
lines, and the apathy prevalent
among campus leaders like house
presidents.
Sounds like the University of
Idaho is having some of the
same problems we are.
• • •
THE UNIVERSITY OF
WASHINGTON has found a new
use for the rhesus monkey, the
same breed that has been used
extensively in the Salk vaccine
tests. A monkey appeals weekly
on a program on KCTS. the Uni
versity television station, on
"Buttons and His Buddies," a
children's program.
Washington has also imported
an elephant to appear on the
show. As a result, the show has
been highly successful.
Maybe If Washington students
endorsed monkeys and elephants
for their student council it might
also meet with success foi a
change.
Joe College
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TO PUT A ’POLISH' OM A
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Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are those of the w riter and do not pretend to
the"X’,r ini'tia?";"".0, , A,St'° ,hr 1 ’"-Wied edit,.,iala are !v, „„ n l.y
jh . ’ iIt<,rJjkJjJL 1 * th< editorial boiri
DQNNA BUNBERCi, Bu
JERRY HARRELL. Editor
_x DICK LEWIS, SALLY HVAX7Aanociatc Edin^T
^^EKEEtl^Managing Editor BILL MAlNnv7^(r^v7^^,^rviTnT7.cV;
-XANCV-SHAW. Office Man^eT
JI Kh'! ( DAUSSEN, CHUCK MITCHKI.MOKE, fmfeport. Editor.
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